A Little Off the Top

Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. All the rest have 31, except for stupid February.
Apparently, February didn't get the memo, or just doesn't care. Every four years (or, to be precise, whenever the year's number can be evenly...more

The clever people who invented Pokémon Go obviously did not have my generation in mind when they launched the new smartphone craze that's taking the world by storm.
When you give the name Snorlax to one of your ethereal and elusive characters, an...more

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, we'll have to make do with 500, since that's all this space allows.
The picture in question shows a young woman sitting under a bright yellow umbrella, playing a harp. The sky is...more

When it comes right down to it, perhaps human evolution has all been for naught.
My mind started drifting on that particular stream recently, as I watched my neighbour gleefully set up his patio furniture and lovingly polish his brand-new...more

A few weeks ago, in a light-hearted piece about bucket lists, I mentioned a trip to England with my father 20 years ago this month.
I'm a little hesitant about writing a sequel some readers may find a bit too personal, or even disturbing, but you...more

Enquiring (and even inquiring) minds want to know: what the heck is a hack, anyway?
In response to numerous queries on that very subject (none, actually), I've been hacking my way through the undergrowth of lexicography trying to decode a term the...more

The idea of compiling a bucket list has never held much appeal for me.
Sure, I've daydreamed about lots of places and experiences from time to time, but actually listing a dozen or so things I'm itching to accomplish before shuffling off this...more

The other day, I overheard a couple of guys in a coffee shop talking about their impending retirement. One is about to pack it in at the end of this month, the other hits the magic R-day later this year.
Perhaps it was excessive politeness that...more

Some people have a knack for the Grand Romantic Gesture. They're the ones who swim the Hellespont, write soulful ballads in milady's honour, or casually slip the keys to a Maserati under their partner's breakfast plate.
Then, there are the rest of...more

A couple of weeks ago, my 17-year-old neighbour hailed me from across the street, "Hey, Ken. Happy Hanukkah!" After a moment of stunned surprise, I replied, "And to you!"
The thing is, I don't happen to be Jewish. Neither is my chipper young...more

It took a king, a pope and a former prime minister to make me rethink my scepticism about extrasensory perception.
Let me set the scene.
August 16, 1977 was a stinking hot Tuesday in southern British Columbia. I was on Highway 3, midway between ...more

Call me a skeptic, a cynic, I don’t care. Heck, go the distance and call me a heretic, if you wish. Truth is, I don’t believe in the Zombie Apocalypse. Or the Four Horsemen variety, for that matter. It’s not that I harbour illusions about ...more

The kaleidoscope of memory is a wondrous thing. A quarter twist, and tiny fragments tumble themselves into a startling pattern of perception. Another twist, another vista of the past, another “aha” about the present, or the future; ...more

There’s a reason people like me should never play the stock market. Some time ago, when I heard that a new arts and entertainment magazine was in the works, the cynic in me said it wouldn’t last six months. These things never do.more

Anyone who comes to Yukon quickly becomes aware of several things: the vast landscape, the clean air ...
Something else newcomers soon discover is the remarkable depth and breadth of artistic and cultural expression available in the Territory.more

Paula Thompson said it best.
"I'm in awe of primary teachers. They're amazing, amazing people. They just know what to do."
Thompson oughtta know. She's a former teacher and a former principal. Now she helps teach teachers.more

Exciting. But also terrifying.
That's how Paula Thompson sums up her feelings about the beginning of a new school year.
She could be referring to what many students go through as summer wanes and the classroom beckons ...more

On June 11, 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper rose in the House of Commons to issue a formal apology for Canada's century-long Indian residential school policy.
That same Wednesday evening, a new play called Where the Blood Mixes ...more

As manager of the $25 million construction project, Bailie knows every inch of the 40,000 square-foot waterfront complex, built to resemble the cluster of buildings typical of many First Nation villages.more